‘Very Nice’ but Just a Stunt, Jerusalem Responds : Arafat Wishes Israel a Happy Jewish New Year

Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, issued a holiday greeting Wednesday to Israel and the Jewish people.

Arafat appeared at a news conference here and, noting that this is the time of the Jewish New Year, said: “To all the Jews of the world, to all Israelis, I wish them shana tova , happy new year, a peaceful year.”

In Jerusalem, Israeli officials dismissed the greeting as a stunt and said it should not be taken seriously.

A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry told reporters, “It’s very nice to say ‘ shana tova ‘ in front of a group of journalists, but it would be more constructive if (he made) some concrete change in policy.”

It was Arafat’s latest gesture in a diplomatic initiative aimed at rallying European opinion behind his bid for an international conference to create an independent Palestinian state.

Hints at Recognition

On Tuesday, in an address to Socialist members of the European Parliament, he had indicated that the PLO is prepared to recognize the state of Israel if a Palestinian state can be established in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“We are proposing peace to those who wish it,” he said Wednesday.

Arafat was asked about the Israeli elections, scheduled for November, and which of the candidates he thought might take a more positive view of the Palestinians, but he did not reply directly. He said:

“Will they elect peace or war? Will they elect those who will set fires to the region?”

Arafat spent his second day in Strasbourg speaking to officials of the 12-nation European Communities. He said he was sounding out European opinion on the possible impact of a provisional Palestinian government in exile and whether such a government would be recognized by other governments.

He said the Palestine National Council, which has been expected to convene for the purpose of charting the PLO’s future, will meet late next month.

As for the possibility of PLO negotiations with the Israelis, Arafat said he is prepared to meet with the Israelis “in the United Nations, in the Security Council or any place else that they would want.”

Arafat, wearing his customary olive-drab uniform and black-and-white kaffiyeh, the Arab headdress, met for 90 minutes with Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias.

After the meeting, Papoulias said he would take up at a meeting of Common Market foreign ministers next month in Greece the ramifications of recognizing a Palestinian government in exile.

Papoulias appeared to be impressed by Arafat’s “moderate” presentation, as it is being called here. He told a news conference that Arafat was “sketching out the way forward to new solutions” in the Palestinian conflict with Israel.

‘Window of Opportunity’

Several officials here said that Arafat’s performance was impressive and that there is a “window of opportunity” in the next 18 months for “the Palestinian cause to gain ground in Western Europe.”

They said this is because the presidency of the Common Market will be held successively for six months each by Greece, Spain and France, all Mediterranean countries that have viewed the Palestinian cause with more favor than some other European countries.

Arafat told the press that he is prepared to negotiate at an international conference according to various U.N. resolutions.

“I stretch out my hand,” he said, “to conclude peace, to help peace lovers in Israel, to establish a fair and lasting peace.”